Friday, 23 September 2016

Despite being given a green light by Lahore High Court,Maalikhas failed to ride along the controversy at the box office. The political thriller has been given just one show each in Lahore’s Super Cinemas at Hussain Chowk and Fortress Stadium.

It has been facing stiff competition from local Eid releases such asActor in Law,JanaanandZindagi Kitni Haseen Hay, as well as international films such asBaar Baar Dekhoand the upcomingRaaz Reboot.

“It is true thatMaalikis not being screened in some of the biggest cities of Punjab, such as Sialkot, Faisalabad and Gujranwala. In Lahore, it has been given only two shows. What can I do when cinema-owners are unwilling to pay more attention to my film?” Azeem toldThe Express Tribune. “I do humbly request them to increase the number of shows being given toMaalik. In the meantime, I am glad that my work is getting a very positive response, in spite of the limited number of shows,” he added.

According to Azeem,Maalikhas also been doing well in Sindh. The soaring popularity is surely a breath of fresh air for the film-maker, who had been struggling against the government to have the film released in the first place.Maalikpreviously opened back in April but was banned soon after.

However the ban on the film was revoked ahead of Eid, a time when a slew of big-budget local and international films were already headed to the cinemas. “The reason forMaaliknot getting ample screen time is that we already have super hit Pakistani films playing at the cinemas,” explained Super Cinemas Public Relations Officer Waryam Iqbal. “Local competition has cut the number ofMaalikscreenings. Right now, nearly 80% of film-goers are coming to watch films other thanMaalik.”

A film distributor seeking anonymity echoed Iqbal’s sentiments by highlighting the entire life cycle ofMaalik. “When the film was released back in April, it was generating maximum footfall and the reason behind that was a lack of other good Pakistani content. Naturally, any film will have to face competition if more films are releasing around the same time,” he explained.

Even the Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra-starrerBaar Baar Dekhois now experiencing a tough time due to the negative responses it has received from the audience. “Viewers are intelligent. When they have a choice, they will always opt for the quality films and naturally, cinema-owners will give shows to only those that will generate good business,” he said.

Thursday, 22 September 2016

Pakistan’s Academy Selection Committee has shortlisted Mah-e-Miras the nation’s official submission for consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film Award category at the 89th Academy Awards.

Although the film failed to flourish at the local box office, it won critical acclaim from not being a run-of-the-mill Pakistani film.

Mah-e-Mir

also stars Iman Ali, Sanam Saeed, Alyy Khan and Manzar Sehbai in key roles. Written by Sarmad Sehbai,Mah-e-Miris set in contemporary times. The film chronicles the life of a young anarchist poet who experiences the suffering that accompanies love, separation and poverty while denouncing tradition. Driven to madness, he discovers celebrated 18th century Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir.Mah-e-Mir

also stars Iman Ali, Sanam Saeed, Alyy Khan and Manzar Sehbai in key roles. Written by Sarmad Sehbai,Mah-e-Miris set in contemporary times. The film chronicles the life of a young anarchist poet who experiences the suffering that accompanies love, separation and poverty while denouncing tradition. Driven to madness, he discovers celebrated 18th century Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir.

In 2013, the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee selectedZinda Bhaagas the first Pakistani film in over fifty years to be submitted for Oscar consideration in the Foreign Language Film Award category, followed byDukhtarin 2014 andMoorin 2015. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will choose the final nominees for all award categories in January 2016.

“I am thrilled by the news. For an ensemble of extremely creative cast and crew this film is a labor of love. Each one of us is proud to be a part of it. I would like to thank the committee for considering our effort worthy of representation and would like to take this opportunity to thank the media, cinema owners and above all the audiences for supporting us,” Mah-e-Mir director Anjum Shehzad said in a statement.

“I am very pleased to see that we are sending a quality film to the Academy Awards for consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the fourth consecutive year. After decades of neglect, it is a matter of great pride that the Pakistani film industry has achieved so much in such brief time and speaks volumes for the inherent artistic talent of our people. I wish the makers ofMah-e-Mirthe best of luck in their journey through the shortlisting process and thank them for their contribution to Pakistani cinema,” the committee’s charge d’affaires said in a statement.

Friday, 16 September 2016

Actor In Law Has registered a massive Weekend at domestic market despite mega clash and has come out winner with good margin!! Film collected 1.84cr approx on day three which is a fall but it was expected as film was was close to capacity on day two and day three was a working day.

Released By Urdu 1 Pictures Film collected close to 5.75cr approx over first three days and is biggest three day gross for local films of 2016 overtaking Ho Mann Jahaan and Bachaana!! Film will have steady numbers today and hold today will be very vital.

Below is estimated daily business of the film.

Tuesday.. 1.65cr
Wednesday.. 2.25cr
Thursday.. 1.84cr
Total.. 5.74cr

Film will be targeting double digit number over 6 day Extended Weekend!!

Fawad Khan might be on the verge of conquering Bollywood but there are many who want to see more of him in home productions and superstar Humayun Saeed is one of them.

In an interview withThe Express Tribune, theJawani Phir Nahi Anistar shared a list of actors of who have the potential to become the next superstar and unsurprisingly, theKhoobsuratactor was in it too.

“Everyone likes Fawad Khan and his work, but I want him to work in Pakistani films. It’s my wish to see him more in local productions. I also want to cast him in my own film so, I am just waiting for him to get done with Indian films,” Saeed said.

“Fahad Mustafa has also been acting for a long time now and he’s good at what he does. Feroze Khan, Zahid Ahmed and Hamza Ali Abbasi are also very good actors,” he added quipping, “And I am good too.”

When it comes to actresses, theBin Royestar was all praise for Nadia Jamil and Sania Saeed. “I really like Nadia Jamil and Sania Saeed as actresses. I have done such an amazing work with them during the initial days of my career that I can’t let it go,” Saeed said.

“I am not saying that the newer lot of actresses are no good. They are doing good work too and I have worked with some of them such as Mahira Khan, Sohai Ali Abro, Saba Qamar and Mehwish Hayat. But my work with Nadia and Sania is something I can never forget,” he added.

Speaking about his future projects, Saeed shared that he won’t be doing any more TV serials this year afterDil LagiandBin Roye. He also has two-three films in his kitty for the next year including,Yalgaar, Main Punjab Nahi JaongiandJPNA 2.

When asked if he has any Bollywood project in the pipeline, Saeed said, “For now, Bollywood is not on the cards. I am really concentrating on Pakistani cinema and I enjoy working here because we have waited a lifetime to be where we are today.

“I had the craving to make and watch my own films in cinema. It’s been over a decade that I have finally gotten a chance so, I have no intention to work in Bollywood or Hollywood,” he added.

Saeed, who has returned to TV after four years withDil Lagi,also spilled the beans on whether Mohid survives the bulletor not. “Initially, Mohid was supposed to die in the end. But I have been actually arguing with my director Nadeem Baig for the last one week. He is under the influence of the audience and doesn’t want the character to die.”

“We have shot two endings; one where he dies and the other where he survives. I personally want Mohid to die so, the decision is yet to be finalised.”

But you won’t have to wait any longer as the final episode airs onARYtonight. Here are some interesting Humayun Saeed facts you wouldn’t want to miss.

Thursday, 15 September 2016

The cast and crew behind new filmJanaanare hoping to showcase the positive side of Pakistan as they look to bolster international investment and interest in the country’s small movie industry.

In comparison to Hollywood and Bollywood, the Pakistani industry is still in its infancy. Films are made with much smaller budgets and are not often premiered widely around the globe.

Janaan,a romantic comedy released over the Muslim festival of Eidul Azha, is hoping to help change that. It has already made it to No.8 in the UK Box Office Top Ten, and it has been released in 17 different countries.

“The revival is still very, very new. I think it’s going to take time to develop. But just the fact that here we are, competing at an international level, with Bollywood and Hollywood films, even in Pakistan, I think it’s very refreshing,” the film’s lead actor Bilal Ashraf toldReuters.

Ashraf said that more people needed to be educated about the Pakistani film industry and that wider support, as well as advances in technology and special effects, would help it develop.

The filmmakers behindJanaanare a young group who want to take a positive look at their country. While the film tackles serious issues including child molestation and adoption, it also shows the rich cultural side of the country’s ethnic Pashtun tribe.

Shot in Swat Valley, the same area where Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban, the film captures some of the region’s breathtaking scenery. Ashraf and fellow cast members Ali Rehman Khan and Armeena Rana Khan said they’d felt safe while shooting in the area and that security had improved.

“The main purpose behindJanaanwas to put a light on the good things of Pakistan, globally, rather than just, you know, showing the negative things,” said Hareem Farooq, a Pakistani actress who is also one of the producers behind the film.

“This is what we want people to see, that we Pakistanis are not just terrorists. There’s more to it. We’re like good people – as crazy as others.”

We cannot vouch for the authenticity of these box office numbers given by independent box office tracking site Box Office Detail. However until we have some official box-office tracking system in Pakistan this is all we have got. Also the numbers are revised at times and hence you may observe fluctuations.

This is Eid-ul-Azha was rather filmy as we had not one or two but three big budget local films hitting cinemas and fighting for the viewers attention. Among them, the Fahad Mustafa- Mehwish Hayat starrer ‘Actor In Law’, the Feroze Khan- Sajal Aly starrer ‘Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay’ and lastly the Armeena Khan-Bilal Ashraf-Ali Rehman starrer ‘Janaan’. All three films were well promoted so the box office was bound to take good start and that is exactly what has happened and we saw good box office numbers for day 1.

However it was going to be day 2 which would to some extent reveal the viewers preference as word of mouth would have started to spread and people would have made their choices. But since a huge chunk of audiences stays away from cinemas due to the Eid festivities on day 1, a general growth for all the films was expected!

Yet interestingly, while all films have shown growth, one film has had a particularly large growth in numbers which giving us the idea that a trend is somewhat visible. Nonetheless as the eid celebrations end and normalcy resumes we will get a clearer picture of the box office scene.

For now here are the day wise numbers for the three films where we can see that ‘Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay’ has almost doubled its first day numbers on day 2 while ‘Actor In Law’ and ‘Janaan’ have also grown.

Actor In Law

Day 1 ( Tues 13 Sept): 1.30 cr

Day 2 ( Wed 14 Sept): 1.55 crTotal: 2.85 cr

Janaan

Day 1 ( Tues 13 Sept): 0.95cr

Day 2 ( Wed 14 Sept): 1.35 crTotal : 2.40 cr

Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay

Day 1 ( Tues 13 Sept): 0.40 cr

Day 2 ( Wed 14 Sept): 0.75 crTotal: 1.15 cr

(Source Galaxy Lollywood)

Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Actor In Law has raked in 1.65cr approx on it's first day which is biggest of 2016 for local releases overtaking Ho Mann Jahaan released earlier this year.. Numbers are second biggest day one ever for local films after Jawani Phir Nahi Ani and film has done both these feats despite clash with two other local films!!

Film managed massive numbers from Karachi and Hyderabad where it collected 65lacs approx and is a very big number there.. Film opened slow in the morning but it picked extremely well esepcially out of Punjab where numbers are even more than film like FAN which had opened over 2cr with solo release..

Film has broken biggest day one record despite clash which is excellent.. Film was fore casted at 1.3cr approx for day one and target was 1.5cr mark and it has beaten it well..

There is huge capacity of growth in mass circuits of Punjab and if it shows growth there then it will be aiming 2cr mark today which will be first film to hit that mark with least number of shows.

Saturday, 10 September 2016

Eidul Azha will mark the opening of not one but three Pakistani feature films, with nothing but earlier Indian releases,Baar Baar DekhoandFreakyAli to worry about in terms of competition. While this is surely a great opportunity for Pakistani films to flourish, which one takes the lion’s share at the box office remains yet to be seen.

Interestingly, all three films are projects helmed by big names, hailing from completely different genres. First comes Nabeel Qureshi’sActor in Lawwhich brings back the team of the 2014 sleeper hitNa Maloom Afraad. The upcoming comedy stars the increasingly popular Fahad Mustafa and model-turned-actor Mehwish Hayat, who will give stiff competition to the Ali Rehman Khan, Bilal Ashraf and Armeena Khan-starrerJanaan. Also in line isZindagi Kitni Haseen Hay(ZKHH) which brings small-screen couple Sajal Ali and Feroze Khan to the fore.

The directors of all three have been previously lauded for their debut films, raising expectations even higher. While Azfar Jafri’s 2013 filmSiyaahgained him some recognition, he hopes to hit the jackpot withJanaanthis time around. Similarly, Qureshi’sNa Maloom Afraadmay have put him on the map but now he is looking to take things up a notch. Anjum Shahzad’sMah-e-Mirhad a decent showing at the box office earlier this year but the film-maker has resorted to a commercial concept withZKHHto improve his stock.

A point to note is that since people generally prefer to spend more on their sacrificial animals than outings during Eidul Azha, any box office records are unlikely to be broken. What could happen, however, is that the Pakistani film industry sees an overall highest-ever box office collection on Eid.

Speaking withThe Express Tribune, Super Cinemas Lahore General Manager Khorem Gultasab gave his two cents on which film he believes will dominate. “I thinkActor in Lawis going to top the box office because it has got more commercial appeal.JanaanandZKHHare likely to share the space,” he said.

According to Gultasab, it would have been a better decision business wise to have one of the films release after Eid. “Each of them has its strengths but this would have resulted in all of them doing strong business. But like I said, all three are likely to do well, withActor in Lawtaking the cake.”

Gultasab’s sentiments were echoed by Atrium Cinemas Managing Director Nadeem Mandviwala, who claimedActor in Lawis more likely to lead, mainly because of its cast. “There’s bound to be more demand for it,” he stated, adding that his cinema network has divided the shows amongst all three releases equally.

Naturally, the number of screens and shows a film is given play an integral part in its performance. However, audience demand is just asimportant. Once the films have seen the light of day, what the audience wishes to see will become clearer and cinema houses are bound to change their screening schedules accordingly.

Cinepax Marketing General Manager Mohsin Yaseen shared, “We have 28 screens all over Pakistan. The shows are equally divided among all three films, with each film getting about 500 or more shows during the next two weeks.”

As to which film he thought would gross more than the others, Yaseen said, “We have opened advance booking and all three have received a good response. But I thinkActor in Lawis going to dominate the collections, withJanaancoming in second and finally,ZKHH.”

Tuesday, 6 September 2016

Actor-model, Nisha Malik, 22, was found hanging from the ceiling fan at her Iqbal Town residence on Saturday night.

Following her mysterious demise, the team behind her debut film,Best of Luck, has decided to release the movie on Eidul Azha.

Investigation is still underway and no official statement has been released by the local police station regarding the alleged suicide case. The late model’s family members alerted authorities after they found her body, and haven’t been able to tell how or why the incident may have come to be. “We are yet to confirm the reason of Nisha’s death but based on investigations, the model had an argument with her family the day she died,” revealed a police official. “It is still too soon to say or predict anything in the matter but, hopefully in a few days, things will be a lot clearer.”

Having stepped into the limelight nearly five years ago, Nisha was an active part of Lahore’s modelling circuit. Principle filming ofBest of Luckhad been completed three months ago and there were no signs of the film’s release until the actor passed away. Since it’s a low budget project, the film will only be released in a few cinemas across Punjab and at the famous Metropole Cinema of Lahore.

Considering the budget, available cinema slots and timing of release, the fate of the Punjabi movie is predictable and one wonders whether the decision was made in an attempt to cash in on the tragedy surrounding its deceased lead actor. “We were planning to release the film on Eid anyway,” director A Hafeez toldThe Express Tribune, despite not having mentioned a release date previously. “We have just started the post-production and the film will be ready by Eid.”

Remembering his time while directing Nisha on sets, Hafeez said, “Nisha was a great actor and the female lead of this film. We are deeply saddened and shocked by the news of her death. At such a young age, she proved her worth as a talented performer, which is why we decided to give her a prominent part inBest of Luck. She could have easily enjoyed a bright career in the film industry, but unfortunately she is no more.”

The director is also planning to release the movie in Karachi and other major cities in honour of the late actor. Produced jointly by Zain Hafeez and Mian brothers, the film also stars Fahad Malik, Zara Malik, Ashi Khan, Raheela Agha and Khawar Khan in prominent roles.